Sunday, April 29, 2007

So Tammy asks, " What do you think? Do you think the yielding is bad sportsmanship or just part of the game?"Totally a part of the game dude!! Not that I would be a bit pissy if I was yielded, especially if I was at the back of the pack when it happened & extra especially if it happened twice, but suck it up Buttercup!!! It's like sending someone back home when you land on the same square in Parcheesi.

I am going to try to be extra specific tonight. This one's for you Carol!!

I'm givin' ya all my positive energy Danny & Oswald, I'm sure that the other teams won't be cutting you 30 minutes of slack so you're going to have to be spot on tonight!Yeah, okay. Dustin & Kandice are pumped. Everyone who starts in 1st place is pumped.Blondes are the only team to make the 1st ferry. Charla & Mirna and Eric & Danielle are on the 2nd (4:00AM) ferry. My Boys are on the 6:00AM ferry."You have cell phone. You call airport. For in-for-ma-tion. How you say 'airport'?" This is how Mirna was talking to ordering about her cabbie. "You have to try to do the right accent. It makes all the difference," she explains. Mirna, darlin' - all of your accents sound the same - village idiot.2 "C'mon Charlas".The 1st 3 teams are on the same flight to Guam. My poor Boys just missed it!! BUT they should be able to make the same connecting flight in Tokyo.This is so stressful! How do the teams survive actually living through this kind of stress without some knitting? I know!!

They made it!!! Their relief is equally balanced by Eric's disappointment/hate (and that's Eric's word, not mine).Off the flight and into the cars it's my Boys, Charla & Mirna, Blondes and Eric & Danielle.After arriving at Andersen Air Forces Base they have to wait 'til morning & due to security, pick an Air Force escort to take them on base for the Detour instructions. It's a tower with about 10 flights of stairs.Care Package or Engine CareFill a box with 500lbs of essential supplies for locals on neighbouring islands (where's they yarn & needles?) and go along with the plane for the relief training exercise or scour clean a section of a plane clean. Seems like a bit of a no-brainer to me. Especially since you're working for the Army now - it's a different standard of clean. Even more especially since I'm more of an 'illusion of clean' kinda gal!Charla and Mirna choose the Care Package (because Charla likes to help people in need)while the other teams do Engine Care."Charla! Can you run?" Her little legs are going as fast as they can!!I hope that Mirna doesn't have children. Between the Idiot Speak and the their self esteem will be in the toilet.3 Hurry Ups from Mirna to Charla.After donning rain suits and face shields - no one wants soap in their eyes - they set to. Engine Care is slow going - the senior maintenance officer is not cutting the civilians any slack."Over there." "Here, here and there." "You've got to scrub harder.""Put it in with some degree of love, okay?" says the Care Package supervisor. Yeah Mirna. It won't help anyone if the cookies are all crumbled!"Books are really important. They help you out in life." And they're heavy so you'll get to the 500lbs faster. Don't think that I don't see right through you!"I feel like Top Gun." A very loose comparison, but we'll let it slide.Finally the Blondes aren't getting any quarter for their attempts at charm. The Blondes finish scrubbing and are currently in place. Now they have to go back to the Naval Base and get their next clue.Eric & Danielle are in .Oswald & Danny are in ."C'mon, let's make it fast." Mirna, you're in the Army now. They could care less about your race & are not going to fly faster on your say so.Charla & Mirna are in . "It's so awful." Someone should let Mirna know about the pharmaceutical drugs that are currently available for her mood swings.

Driving, map reading and following directions - you know that this is a potential recipe for disaster."I'm looking for the U.S. Naval Base - it's a matter of life & death." Drama Queen of the Day award goes to ... Mirna!!Fanny & Oswald stop for directions too.The Roadblock is a search & rescue training exercise. Find a soldier, get reprogrammed, radio for extraction.Hand held GPS navigation - way cool! Remember back when we were in school? Compasses & map reading. Now that was skill building!!Dustin finds her pilot with very little difficulty."I think I missed something." "I'm arriving at pilot." "I'm here - where's the pilot?" You have to find him & "rescue" him Danielle."Ma'am, you're not supposed to touch the screen." "Ma'am, I told you not to touch the screen." Poor Charla.Turning the GPS unit around in your hand is not going to change your location or get you closer to your pilot Charla.Dustin & Kandice are in first place heading to the pit stop."Where am I? I don't know where I am!" Danielle is starting to lose her cool. She was right therebut is going around in circles. I don't think that she realizes that the pilot that she's looking for is incamouflage and in the bush. He might be "injured" and she needs to find him, not the other way around. Her army "guide" reminds her to just follow the GPS but she's freaking out a bit.I don't know why Oswald is hustling a bit more."Ma'am I told you not to touch the screen at all." Poor Charla. I'm not sure if she's doing it on purpose trying to get more/different directions or if she's having a hard time holding it & hits the buttons by accident.The Blonde are overusing this word.Oswald is just not seeing his pilot. I personally think that camouflage is hideous, but it certainly serves its purpose!

Poor Charla - worried about land mines & poison ivy, but she found her pilot.Yes Danielle, Eric probably will kill you if you come out of this task last. Eric couldn't do it because he's maxed out on Roadblocks.Danielle found her pilot and is heading out!Charla is wading through grass taller than she is!Danielle & Eric are on their way to the pit .Oswald sees Charla coming, "The Teletubbies go to war." OMG Oswald! Although, in her army & extraction gear Charla does bear a striking resemblance to Laa-Laa .Clever editing has the last 3 teams driving and we have the impression that they are all confused. Who's next? Eric and Danielle finish in 2nd place!Charla & Mirna are "team number 3!"My poor Boys!! They are awesome sports though and when asked who they would like to see win they say that they would like to see Charla & Mirna win "because those ladies are a class act." Out of the last 3 I'd rather see them win than the others, although the Blondes have raced hard. Charla has had to work almost twice as hard as anyone to get through some of the tasks and has put up with Mirna the entire time!! If it wasn't for my dislike for them - and maybe even despite that, the Blondes are not unworthy of the million bucks.So here are your final three:

Friday, April 27, 2007

I'm still putting the final touches on my notes and stuff for the Frolic. 12 hours before I have to leave. Lots of time.

But I have finished the Taos cardigan. Now it's blocking ...

Now it's done.

And I've come up with a way that you can spot me - I will be wearing a pair of earrings that I just finished. Don't worry - they're not tiny.

Don't I feel clever?So if you're at the Frolic tomorrow, look for the woman with the crooked glasses - gimme a couple of months to get an eye check-up and I'll have me a new, well fitted pair!! - and Rockin' earrings and then come say "".

Rhonda wanted to see my sheep. I don't have many - a tape measure, a bobble-head that Julie brought back for me from Australia & a Beanie. I included Knitter & Purl - she was a gift from a bus driver & his wife before I left Milton. I love her & will always remember Bill & his wife with an extra fondness for this thoughtful gift.

I know that my blog is a simple thing, more function than form. I've tried to add some personal touches, but I'm not a real web designer. Imagine my surprise when I read this review. Thanks for the referral Sandra - it totally made my day!!

Monday, April 23, 2007

I've been recovering nicely - completely back to normal. Normal of course being a very subjective adjective. Then there was enjoying the last 3 days - abso-freakin'-lutely gorgeous days!!The Marjaana/Rumba Vancouver pullover is done!I've started on the Taos Cardigan out of Online Rush

I have finished the La Luz camisole for Elise. Nice try, but you are just going to have to wait for the book! The yarn is absolutely sumptuous and sublime. The soft, sleek texture and the rich colours that dance in perfect harmony with each other. I'm gonna make one for myself and just not wear it anywhere until the book comes out.

This is Leyna, my cousin Natasha's daughter. She's almost 5 months old. Amanda & I enjoyed our turns holding her. And though Amanda professed a deep desire and love for a baby sister, I felt nary a twinge. I mean she's cute and all but 2 is all the happiness that I can stand. Any more happiness would kill someone. Seriously.

Awesome news - our favourite Crazy Aunt Purl is being published! She's got all the deets on her blog. I'm not a fan of pre-ordering books (been burnt) but I will definitely be at the head of the line when it hits Chapters for real.Véronik Avery is also getting her own book! I'm totally stoked for this one - Véronik truly has a grasp of the meaning of classic. And when I say classic I don't mean boring.I met Véronik years ago when she was a fledgling designer - her husband was doing a play in Toronto and through a knitlist we met up. I knit a sweater for her for IK a number of years back and now she's the creative director for JCA. I can't wait to get her book!!!

Mischief just loves trying to help me type - the operative word here being "try". It doesn't take long for her to quit that - hey, you gotta know your limits - and just snuggle in. My knitting chair upstairs is just not wide enough for her to be beside me so it's on my lap. But then she insinuates herself on or around my arms. She's nothing if not persistent & loving!

Sunday, April 22, 2007

3:41AM departure - that makes me tired."I wonder if we're allowed to prostitute ourselves." LOL Oswald. Just stay frugal dude.Well Dustin, just because the ferry wasn't a "catch up" point doesn't mean that there isn't one on this leg of the race.Oh, we've seen how you don't treat Charla in a special way Mirna. You're just as bitchy with her as you are with everyone else.Yielding another team for money - I think that that qualifies as prostituting yourself. Shame on you Danny & Oswald!!!Danielle darlin', you have no idea how cutthroat & crazy it's gonna get!Poor Mirna - logical sense evades you.You're in a harness - no biggie walking around a tower. And falling - no problem. Falling's the easy part - it's the landing that may pose some challenges.You GO Charla!!!I bet Eric swears.Pay up - I called it.

I hope that the yield backfires on the and not Danny & Oswald. They made a poor choice but I still like them.Noodle or Dragonmmmmmmm - noodles!!!LOL Danny - "Oh, there's plenty of water." Between the rain & the river I was thinking the exact same thing!!Dustin doesn't weigh enough to bounce the dough down enough.Mirna & Charla are just awkward.You were cutting it Mirna - if you thought that Charla was giving you mis-information you should have kept on as you were. Another example of the not special treatment. That's just sour grapes 'cause you got passed by Eric & Danielle.Poor Danny & Oswald. Lost in Translation

Yeah Mirna. I'm sure that when they make a car with the pedals about 2' from the seat and windows low enough that Charla can see out, she'd be more than happy to drive.If you think that Danny & Oswald don't deserve to win, wait till you find out who really doesn't.D & O!!!

Awww man!! Payback's a !!No Way - another non-elimination. I lost track of those.The boys have their work cut out for them. Another misquote. Money is not the root of all evil - the love of money is the root of all evil.

Is the Air Force equipped to handle Mirna & Charla? Will Mirna talk to them like uniformed & armed village idiots? Can Danny & Oswald make good time & amends? Only time will tell.